Investigation on the Quantity of Xuanfeiqingre Granules by Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

OBJECTIVES To estimate the shelf life of Xuanfeiqingre granules by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and compare the result with quantity control of other varieties of indexes ephedrine, hesperidins and glycyrrhizic acid in this granule as determined by RP-HPLC. To give a base for predicting the granule's shelf life and optimize the usage of DRS in Chinese medicine stability research. METHODS The dosage form was deposited at different temperatures and the colors of Xuanfeiqingre were determined by the DRS method at different times to obtain a quantitative color measurement. The converse result of the obtained remission function θ, was applied to the content of this granule according to each condition and then the Arrhenius formula was used to acquire the shelf life by the contents of the above. The result was compared with the result obtained by the quantity control of other varieties of indexes ephedrine, hesperidins and glycyrrhizic acid in this granule determined by RP-HPLC. RESULTS The color of these granules changed significantly according to the temperature condition. The activating energies of different indexes was calculated based on the Arrhinius formula and the shelf-life determined by DRS was predicted as 0.5 year. The results of color index at different times and temperatures are more significant than the quantity control of other varieties of indexes. CONCLUSION By using a variety of indexes to estimate the stability of Xuanfeiqingre granules, the shelf life obtained with DRS was found to be shorter than with other quantity control results. DRS is a non-destructive analysis method.